Anything about Le Mans. If you're going to the 24 Heures du Mans in June 2006 or the Le Mans Classic in July 2006 - talk about it here.

The Classic Race, this year over the weekend of 7th/9th July 2006

As you probably know Philip Willcocks won the 'Least Likely To Make It Home' award. The award, an Airfix type kit of an MGB was presented to Philip on the Sunday night, at chez Bertrand, by Colin Wake. What an emotional moment for all.

The next morning it was found in the waste bin, where else. I tried to secret it in the back of Philips TR but his brother would have none of it. So I slung it in the back of my GT6 intending to do as Nig suggested and glue it together but crashed into a lampost. The story goes on...

Half way to the Alps, in the middle of nowhere, I am chatting up an English lady at a petrol station when her husband and young son come over. After the usual pleasantries about my car he tells me that he has only just sold his MGB. Well, taking the opportunity to foster good relations with the aliens I get the Airfix kit from my car and present it to his son. Dad get's all soppy and says that his was British Racing Green as well.

So that, Philip, is what happened to your award!

I (we) fixed Phil's car before we left Le-Mans (Graham and myself). Phil had to 'look away' when we produced the hammer

I suppose we'll find out how good the fix was once he tells us how the rest of his holiday went...

By a bit of (good / bad / indifferent) luck, I met Phil outside the Auchan at Dieppe last saturday afternoon, on my way home from Bergerac, Phil, was, not unsurprisingly, also on his way home from Paris. There in the car park was the TR6!!!

Still running, on 5 cylinders, and with a James Bond style smoke screen gently wafting behind it!!!

But, still moving under it's' own power!

It made it home, so I am very glad I never got round to cementing the friendly &163;50 bet we had jested about last year!!!

He reckoned he had used 8 litres of oil on the trip......Mmmmmm......

Colin

8 litres of oil??? I know the cause for that, and the solution...

went from 5 litres per 400 miles to no oil consumption in 1500 miles myself with a thorough engine rebuild

one day I'll work out the break even mileage when the money I save in oil will pay for the cost of the rebuild...

bin

depends if you are buying the oil or recycling any you can get your hands on, from oil changes on your other cars, oil changes other people have done, old chip pan oil (Mmmmmm nice smell!)

BTDT with an old Mini, I was not going to fork out for new valve guides twice in 10 years.

assuming he was doing 100 miles per litre and a fully rebuilt TR6 lump is &163;1500, mega cheapo oil at &194;&163;3 per 5 litres, that is 2500 litres of oil will pay for a rebuild, quarter million miles....... Mmmmmm I think the decision is made.

Oil cloud it is!

Colin

Mmmn, wasn't mega cheap oil though, had to buy 5 litres on the way back to the Chateau at 1am and the only oil the garage had was EUR40 - ugh!

About that award, can I admit that I got the MGB Airfix kit three days earlier in a garage sale for 20p and discarded it in the bin in favour of the fabulous 10 litre box of wine that Bertrand gave to me and the large bottle of Champers that his father in law cheerily gave to me and Alison. Bertrand also took Ali an me into his superb wine seller under the house and gave us a bottle each from his collection, very touching. It appears that our hosts enjoyed the weekend as much as we did.

I passed on everyones thanks to Bertrand today and he was pleased that everyone enjoyed staying at his home and enjoyed the event.

We might yet be able to re-award it to cars that struggled home without wings or a prayer. I understand that Tony Locker-Lampson broke his diff and was only repatriated on the Tuesday...

The onward holiday was brilliant. We stayed at Ali's sisters place which turned out to be a beautiful former mill with water wheel outside Paris. We shopped in Paris on Tuesday and ended up having drinks at the Ritz, (I had cocktails and she had beer!) and Thursday we went to Disney World and had a faaaabulous time. Maybe we started something here, Le Mans and Disney goes together like mayonaise and frites !

Anyhow, a thankyou to everyone who wrote and said thankyou. Thanks to the guys who got the car to Le Mans, thanks to the guys who mended it so that we got home.
As for Colin, oh yee of little faith, when Icalled him at Auchan his first question was did I have a large estate that he could put his stash of beer in - noo, the TR6 was still functioning!
Philip

Your calculation is too simplistic.

There is the endless supply of tar remover to get all that oil off the rear of the car to take in to account!

Don't know about anyone else, but my rear mounted ralley plate was black by the time I got some (and a little warped where it slipped a little too close to the exhause at one point...)

Trust you to be chatting up a lady in a petrol station somewhere in france Don.....
Any way on another thread- are you going to Snetterton sunday? if so, and you fancy another convoy (smaller than last year) we are meeting at
the Magpie A140 Stonham. 10.00 to 10.30
Regards Dave Cox.

Hi Dave

Girlfriend's birthday I'm afraid. I did try suggesting that she might like to go as part of her pressy but that went down like a lead balloon!

So you got back then?

Hi don
A nice ride out in the GT6 & a bit of sport to watch, what else could a girl want?
Yep made it back No probs - not bad for a car just out of the Garage after a 14 year lay up.
Dave.

Section : Le Mans Classic

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Followups :

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!

Car least likely to make it home - story continues!